Top U.S. officials and Texas delegates have shared condolences and condemnations in response to the killing of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three of his aides during an attack last night on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.

Enraged by a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in an American-made video mocking the religious figure, protestors raided the consulate and killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens along with three members of his staff.

“Ambassador Stevens and his team were committed to helping the Libyan people build a strong country and government,” Sen.Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Their tragic deaths illustrate the difficult challenges we face when we seek to help a society once ruled through fear and intimidation turn toward the light of freedom and democracy.

“Those responsible for this attack must be brought to justice. This loss will not weaken our resolve to work with people and governments worldwide who share our commitment to freedom.”

Rep. Pete Olson (Houston Chronicle photo)

The depiction of Muhammad, which is prohibited in the Islamic religion, also garnered protests from Muslims in Egypt.

Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, released a statement asking leaders in Egypt and Libya to recall the assistance the U.S. provided in the respective revolutions in the Arab Spring of 2011.

Olson also drew a connection between yesterday’s attacks on American citizens with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“Religious beliefs are important and deserve respect, but the disrespect shown by a few never justify the murder of innocent people,” he said in the statement. “The fact that these despicable events happened on the anniversary of the worst single attack on American soil should be a reminder to us that many in the world live in ignorance of the decency and generosity of the United States.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said her department is working to protect other diplomats in the area while seeking out answers in the death of Stevens and his staff members.

“There will be more time later to reflect, but today, we have work to do,” she said at the State Department. “There is no higher priority than protecting our men and women wherever they serve. We are working to determine the precise motivations and methods of those who carried out this assault.”

Clinton described the deaths of Stevens and Sean Smith — the only other victim whose identity has been released — as heartbreaking experience for herself and the members of her department.

Smith was an Air Force veteran and worked for the State Department for 10 years, according to Clinton.

“The mission that drew Chris and Sean and their colleagues to Libya is both noble and necessary, and we and the people of Libya honor their memory by carrying it forward,” she said.

Obama said the families of the victims will be in his thoughts and prayers, but also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to bringing peace and democracy to the world.

“Right now, the American people have the families of those we lost in our thoughts and prayers,” he said. “They exemplified America’s commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe, and stand in stark contrast to those who callously took their lives.”